Twisting Turns of Fate
by Weasley's Revenge
Summary: Life really is a bunch of middles, but how do we judge the middles without beginnings and ends.  The weddings, the funerals, and the births. Finchel. Wemma. Quick.
1. Rachel's Grandma

**AN:** This is a story a long time in the making. It has somewhere around 27 parts. Some are sad, and some are over-whelmingly happy. All are told from Finn's point of view as he and Rachel navigate their adult live together. This starts the summer before senior year and disregard season three. Enjoy :).

**i. Rachel Grandmother**

This summer they've been pretty much inseparable, and that's not an exaggeration. The longest he has gone without seeing her was the week she went on vacation, and even then the longest amount of time they'd had with no communication was the three days he had spent in the sticks camping.

Which is why this stint of silence is particularly worrying. He knows that the Berrys are home because every time he tries to call the line is busy. Rachel hasn't been responding to his text messages, and she's also not been answering her cellphone. He knows that something is wrong, but he can't make it to her house until two days after the silence has started because of the stupid hours at his stupid summer job.

He shows up to her house at three PM on July 17th and is shocked at the image presented by the girl who opens the door. Rachel's eyes are red, red, red, and puffy and her lip is quivering as she throws herself into his arms. He silently vows that whoever made her like this, whatever did this to her, is going to pay.

"Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn," she keeps repeating his name like a prayer as he gently sets her back on the ground.

"Rach, what's going on?" So maybe he's easily confused under normal circumstances but this is beyond confusing.

"My grandma died… two days ago, and I haven't had the chance to tell anyone because all of my family is starting to show up for the funeral in two days and when I'm not making food or calling people I'm crying, and I just really wanted to call you, but I didn't want to bother you, and now you're here and—" he puts a finger to her lips to stall what may be the longest run-on sentence ever (yes, Rachel had been tutoring him over the summer and yes, he now knows what a run-on sentence is).

"Babe, I'm here now. What do you need?" He remembers what it was like when his grandma died, and he was only eleven, and they still expected so much of him at age eleven so he's not sure how Rachel is doing with all of this pressure at sixteen.

"I need a break." So he takes her out for vegan fro-yo in the next town over, and they talk about her Nonna. He realizes that this is the first big thing in their relationship—the first test that he has to pass with her entire family—because there is no way he's making her go to the viewing and funeral alone (and yeah he gets that she wouldn't be alone, but still, he wants to be there for her).

He spends the two days leading up to the burial at Rachel's side, offering a comfortable shoulder and as much emotional support as she can handle. Rachel Berry's Nonna is buried on July 19th 2011 at age 84. He stands beside Rachel throughout the entire service and has a hard time understanding most of it because parts are in Hebrew and the rest is some priest dude ("Rabbi," Rachel tells him later when they're talking about the service). She digs her fingers into his arm when they lower her Nonna's body into the ground, and he takes her hand, willing some of her pain onto him, so that this is easier for her.

The funeral of Edna Berry starts both his education on Judaism and Rachel's family. She has eight cousins, four aunts, five uncles, a Great-Grandma Hollis(Leroy's mother's mother), a Nana (Leroy's mother), and one Pap (Leroy's father). He meets all of them within fifteen minutes directly after the funeral, and it is shocking to say the least.

A week later when she has stopped crying so often, she looks at him with those doe eyes and smiles. "Finn Hudson, I love you." And he realizes that is her way of saying thank you to him.

**AN:** Reviews are love ;).


	2. Russel Fabray

**ii. Russell Fabray**

They get the call on Friday, six days before Thanksgiving, and four days before they were planning on returning to Ohio. Emma calls Rachel's cellphone (because he totally calls Ms. Pillsbury Emma now, and she and Rachel are kind-of, sort-of friends). Russell Fabray killed himself last night and the funeral is in two days and fuck—so maybe things won't be perfect for their sophomore year in college.

So yeah he and Quinn aren't exactly best friends, but he and Rachel still get in the car and drive back to Lima—four days before they had actually planned to—just to be there for Quinn.

Finn realizes that there's something so much more tragic about suicide as compared to a natural death. Sure there was that one kid during his freshman year who'd went and offed himself, but Finn hadn't really known the kid, and he hadn't understood what exactly made it so bad.

Now he stands in the Fabray living room and watches a disconsolate Quinn sitting on the couch. It's the same couch they were sitting on four years ago. When the same jackass of a father who just killed himself had kicked her out, but Finn figures that it's best to not remind a girl whose father just committed suicide what a jackass said father was.

So he just stands there like the big, awkward giant that he is. Rachel is in the kitchen helping the former Mrs. Fabray make food for the group of people that have congregated in the grieving house. Rachel is really good at that kind of thing, and he's pretty sure that she's going to make a freakin' awesome mom whenever the day comes for them to have kids (good God he just thought about having kids with Rachel).

His mom and Burt are going to come over later, and Emma is already here. She is sitting on the couch next to Quinn trying to get Quinn to talk. Apparently Quinn hasn't said a word since she heard the news. Finn wonders what he would do if his mom died, and then he shakes his head to clear the thought because, really, who wants to think that?

"Hey, bro," Puck surprises him out of his stupor, and Finn turns to see the mohawked Jew standing directly behind him. "How's she holding up?"

"She hasn't talked to anyone since they told her on Thursday. Her mom really wants her to say a few words at the funeral, and now they're not sure if she'll even be talking by tomorrow."

"I got this." Puck nods and goes to sit next to Quinn on the couch. He takes both of her hands and just looks her in the eyes. Quinn starts bawling and leans forward so that her head is resting on Puck's shoulder. In five seconds, Puck has made more of an emotional connection with her than Finn ever did in five months. Finn watches as Emma rises from her seat next to Quinn and motions for Finn to follow her out of the room.

They make their way through the dining room to the kitchen and Emma starts a dialogue, "It's good to see how close all of you still are. I don't know how Quinn could make it through this without all of you."

"It's a force of habit. We were trained to lookout for each other during glee, and that sense of community has never left us." He answers with pride because he is proud of how they've all stuck together.

"I suppose not," she smiles this little, secretive smile at him before they make it to the kitchen. "And you'll all be together again in two months for the wedding." And, oh yeah, Emma Pillsbury is becoming Emma Schuester on January 18th. He's totally good at remembering stuff like that (not, it's one of the many reasons he keeps Rachel around—besides loving her and stuff).

:.:.:.:

The thing he will always remember about Russell Fabray's funeral has nothing to do with the service. It has nothing to do with the priest. It has nothing to do with the casket, or the receiving line, or even the way Rachel looked in her perfectly ironed black dress.

Finn Hudson will always remember being the person who walked in on Puck and Quinn going at it in the upstairs powder room during the reception. It is a secret that he will keep until the day they get married at which point he will tell everyone.

**AN:** The next one is happy. I promise :).


	3. Shuester Wedding

**iii. The Schuesters' Wedding**

It's a wedding that has been five years in the making. Will and Emma get married on January 18th in the same church that his mother and Burt had chosen for their own wedding four years ago. The service is modest and the reception takes place in the VFW hall fifteen minutes from the church.

Everything is red roses and baby's-breath. Rachel mentions something about wanting forget-me-nots and burnt-umber something at their wedding, and he starts breathing a little more heavily because, well, he hasn't really thought quite to that point yet. Her mentions of flowers and table settings start him on a path that his mind would rather not take—he starts thinking about how they're ever going to afford any of the shit she's talking about.

Hell, right now they can't even afford to buy the Schuesters an actual wedding gift because living together in a small city apartment still takes up most of her waitressing money and his paycheck from working at the deli two blocks away. And he's been saving to get her the ring that she deserves, and at this rate, it's going to be at least another year before he can get something that she will actually like, and—Rachel interrupts his internal panic with a gentle kiss to the cheek.

"What's got you so concerned, babe?"

He thinks about lying, but really, since when is he a good liar, "How the hell are we going to afford a wedding?" She chuckles that little Rachel chuckle that is both simultaneously annoying and endearing.

"My fathers have had a wedding fund for me since the day I turned eight, Finn. We don't really have to worry about it all that much." If there were ever a reason that he loves her fathers, it is this. Because Rachel Berry will have nothing short of a huge-ass (yes, that is the highly technical term he will use to describe their matrimonial services) wedding.

As their gift to the lovely couple, Finn and Rachel are singing a duet—"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is making a comeback. Partly because it's Elton and Mr.—Will (and yeah sometimes he forgets to call him Will) loves Elton, and partly because it's just an awesome song.

So he and Rachel sing, and it's awesome and adorable and Emma cries a little which makes him insanely proud of what he and Rachel have accomplished together. But there's one thing he has noticed about this wedding (and it isn't the way that Quinn and Puck keep sneaking glances at each other, which they totally are, and it's so not helping him forget what he caught them doing) this wedding seems more subdued than ones he's been to in the past.

The shadow of Russell Fabray's death seems to still hang over them like a fog. It's almost gone, but this happy event is tinged with the sadness of something none of them could control.

**AN:** It seems like quite a few of you have this story alerted/favorited, and I know that people are reading it. It would mean a lot to me if you took the time to leave a review. I even have anonymous reviews on if you don't have an account/are too lazy to log on :).


	4. Natalie Shuester

**iv. Natalie Rebecca Shuester**

Two weeks before he and Rachel are to head back to NYU and start their senior year Emma Shuester goes into labor. A month and a half early. Now he doesn't really know how big of a deal that is until Rachel starts freaking out. Like serious freaking out. Not just Rachel Berry "Oh my God my skirt has a stain" freaking out. Legit "Oh my God our former teachers' baby may have complications and die" freaking out. Which makes him a little more than nervous as he drives them to the hospital.

He's pretty sure that the baby's going to be fine, but there's no consoling Rachel as she continues to freak the fuck out. Finally he has to pull over the car and grab her shoulders making her look at him, "If you don't stop panicking right now, then I'm driving you back to the house until you can get your shit together," and it's harsh but she kind of needs the wake-up call right now. "You're going to be no help at the hospital if you're losing your cool too. We have to be strong, Rach."

She nods her head slowly gulping back tears. She hiccupped before speaking, "I—I'm sorry. It's just I'm so _worried_. What if there are complications? Emma is the closest thing I've had to a mother these past few years and—and I need to be strong for her. I know, Finn. Thank you." She leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'd be lost without you."

Except when they arrive at the maternity ward it all goes to shit—even more than it already had. The baby is fine. But Emma is in the OR because something didn't contract properly and he's having trouble picking up on the entire thing, but it sounds really bad. Will is pacing, and Rachel is sitting in a chair praying, and he is standing there like the oaf he is trying to figure out what to do. What will make this better. But he can't think of anything so instead he sits down next to his girlfriend and prays with her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and burying his head in her hair trying to comfort them both at the same time.

The doctor comes out and pulls Will to the side to talk, and Finn can only assume the worst until Will lets out a sigh of relief. He turns to the waiting room of anxious people before going, "Emma and the baby are both fine," in one quick breath. And then he disappears down the hallway—presumably to go check on his wife and newborn child.

He and Rachel wait for another hour before Shue comes back to tell them that they can visit. Natalie is all purple and super tiny but otherwise healthy, and Emma looks exhausted and a little pale, but so very happy as she stares down at her little miracle.

Watching Rachel hold her God-daughter (because Will and Emma made them fucking _God-parents!) _is one of those solidifying moments for him. He realizes he can't wait until she's holding their kids.

**AN: **Sorry for the wait. Reviews are love :).


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